Antonello Vendittti

‘Mozart, You Drive Me Crazy!’ This is the title that the South African soprano Golda Schultz has decided to give to her new album, devoted to the female heroines of Don Giovanni , Così fan tutte and Le nozze di Figaro , roles that have marked her career from Berlin to The Metropolitan Opera: ‘Why does Mozart drive me crazy? First of all, because his music, which sounds so easy when you listen to it, is extremely difficult to perform… And when I immerse myself in the world of Da Ponte and Mozart, I realise that there’s a deep complexity to their female characters: they endure the toughest trials, but they also display great strength. In fact, these operas explore humanity from the feminine perspective: every single one of these women is constantly evolving. They show how human beings transcend trauma and how grief and pain can be overcome.’ The programme is conducted by another eminent Mozartian, Antonello Manacorda, with the Kammerakademie Potsdam.

The celebrations of the 40th anniversary of "Sotto il segno dei pesci", among the album-symbol of the discography of Antonello Venditti, seem to never end. Started in September last year with the release of the unpublished "Sfiga" and the box set "Sotto il segno dei pesci - 40° anniversario", the celebrations went on with the concert-event at the Arena di Verona (which among the other things saw the Roman singer-songwriter find his friend Francesco De Gregori on stage - they debuted together, in 1972, with the album "Theorius Campus", then over the years removals, digs and rapprochements), with the appearance in Sanremo as guest and with a tour in the sports halls. Now comes "Sotto il segno dei pesci - The anniversary tour (Live)" - the live record of the forty-year album - forgive the pun.

An extraordinary solo performance by one of the most outstanding piano performers on the Italian and international scenes: Antonello Salis. Dynamic, energetic, virtuous, poetic, vigorous, and dashing are just some of the words that come to mind when thinking of Antonello. As put by trumpter and friend Paolo Fresu, "Antonello is a musician who can barely contain his irrepressible energy, displayed in whatever he undertakes: he oozes vitality from every pore. But his talent is not just energy and impetuousness. There's a kind of poetry in his music that catches one by surprise and is as disarming as it is bare and calm".